Objective To investigate the expression profile, prognostic value, gene co-expression network, and immunomodulatory role of BRF1 in a pan-cancer context, and to explore its biological functions and molecular regulatory mechanisms in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Methods The pan-cancer dataset from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) was utilized to analyze the differential expression of BRF1 in tumor versus normal tissues, its association with patient survival, pathway enrichment for co-expressed genes, and immune features (including immune checkpoints, cytokines, and immune cell infiltration). The expression profile of BRF1 in ESCC was validated using the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. In vitro, BRF1 was knocked down in ESCC cells using siRNA. Cell proliferation and migration were assessed by MTT and Transwell assays, respectively. The expression levels of proliferation- and migration-related proteins were detected by Western blotting. The correlation between BRF1 and ferroptosis was analyzed using TCGA data. Results BRF1 was significantly upregulated in over 20 types of cancer, and its high expression was associated with poor prognosis in patients with adrenocortical carcinoma and prostate adenocarcinoma. BRF1 was found to positively regulate the T-cell-mediated cell death pathway in esophageal adenocarcinoma and was associated with the circadian rhythm regulation pathway in pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The correlation of BRF1 with immune checkpoints, cytokine networks, and immune cell infiltration was found to be cancer type-specific. In vitro experiments demonstrated that knocking down BRF1 significantly inhibited the proliferation of ESCC cells, accompanied by the downregulation of the proliferation marker PCNA. Cell migration was also significantly impaired, with decreased expression of Vimentin and MMPs and increased expression of E-cadherin. Furthermore, the expression of BRF1 was positively correlated with that of ferroptosis-antagonizing genes, such as GPX4, HSPA5, and SLC7A11. Conclusion BRF1 plays complex roles in pan-cancer, participating in the regulation of tumorigenesis, progression, and immune infiltration. BRF1 promotes the proliferation and migration of ESCC cells, a mechanism potentially associated with the regulation of ferroptosis resistance. These findings suggest that BRF1 could be a potential therapeutic target for ESCC.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the current status of clinical genetics specialization development and the diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities for hereditary diseases across medical institutions in Shanghai, and to assess the necessity and feasibility of establishing training bases for clinical genetics specialists. METHODS: By employing a cross-sectional survey design, the Clinical Genetics Committee of Shanghai Medical Association has conducted questionnaire surveys from March to April 2025 across 54 healthcare institutions in Shanghai (including 33 tertiary hospitals and 21 secondary hospitals). The survey involved administrative departments and medical personnel from 15 clinical specialties. The survey has covered current genetic disease diagnosis and treatment practices, relevant and specialised disease types, genetic department establishment, testing capabilities, personnel teams, and training requirements. RESULTS: The results revealed that 78.0% of clinical departments surveyed had treated patients with hereditary disorders. Shanghai possesses diagnostic and therapeutic expertise for over 95% of hereditary diseases listed in its rare disease catalogue, reflecting both the practical clinical demand for such conditions and the city's overall diagnostic and therapeutic strengths in this field. Nevertheless, significant disparities exist in the development of genetics departments across different tiers of healthcare institutions. Resources for genetic testing capabilities (including molecular, cellular, and biochemical testing) are also unevenly distributed across different tiers of hospitals. The survey further revealed that only 26.0% of departments believe that their current physician structure fully meets the diagnostic and treatment demands. Over 90% of departments consider standard training for clinical genetic specialists necessary, with 74.0% expressing willingness to participate in establishing training bases. Based on above findings and thorough deliberation, the Clinical Genetics Committee of the Shanghai Medical Association proposes advancing specialist training and discipline development through establishing a standard training system. The committee has drafted a three-year training protocol featuring a "joint training"-centered model, recommending a pilot-first, dynamically optimized strategy for steadily advancing training base development. CONCLUSION Shanghai faces substantial demand for genetic disease diagnosis and treatment, yet exhibits shortcomings in clinical genetics specialization development, resource allocation, and talent pipeline cultivation. To establish a standard training system holds significant practical importance and is underpinned by a broad demand.
Humans ; China ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Genetic Diseases, Inborn/genetics* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Genetics, Medical/education* ; Genetic Testing

Lung cancer, a highly prevalent and deadly malignancy globally, poses a significant disease burden in China and is the leading cause of cancer death. Despite rapid advances in medicine, its incidence and mortality rates remain stubbornly high, making it a major challenge in public health. Against the backdrop of rapid progress in precision medicine, the paradigm of lung cancer treatment is shifting from single traditional therapy to multi-dimensional integration. This article comprehensively reviews the innovations and challenges in lung cancer surgery in 2024, aiming to explore the future development of surgical treatment with colleagues and to improve patients' quality of life and achieve the goal of "cure".
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Humans ; Lung Neoplasms/surgery*

Extensive epigenetic reprogramming involves in memory CD8+ T-cell differentiation. The elaborate epigenetic rewiring underlying the heterogeneous functional states of CD8+ T cells remains hidden. Here, we profile single-cell chromatin accessibility and map enhancer-promoter interactomes to characterize the differentiation trajectory of memory CD8+ T cells. We reveal that under distinct epigenetic regulations, the early activated CD8+ T cells divergently originated for short-lived effector and memory precursor effector cells. We also uncover a defined epigenetic rewiring leading to the conversion from effector memory to central memory cells during memory formation. Additionally, we illustrate chromatin regulatory mechanisms underlying long-lasting versus transient transcription regulation during memory differentiation. Finally, we confirm the essential roles of Sox4 and Nrf2 in developing memory precursor effector and effector memory cells, respectively, and validate cell state-specific enhancers in regulating Il7r using CRISPR-Cas9. Our data pave the way for understanding the mechanism underlying epigenetic memory formation in CD8+ T-cell differentiation.
CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/metabolism* ; Cell Differentiation ; Chromatin/immunology* ; Animals ; Mice ; Immunologic Memory ; Epigenesis, Genetic ; SOXC Transcription Factors/immunology* ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/immunology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Gene Regulatory Networks ; Enhancer Elements, Genetic

Objective To investigate the causal relationship between gut microbiota and obstruc-tive sleep apnea syndrome(OSA)using a two-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomization(MR)approach.Methods Eligible single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)were selected from genome-wide association study(GWAS)databases as instrumental variables.A bidirectional MR analysis was conducted to evaluate the causal effects between gut microbiota and OSA.Various statistical methods,including the inverse variance weighted(IVW)method,MR-Egger regression,the weighted model method,and the weighted median method,were employed for association assessment.The MR pleiot-ropy residual sum and outlier(MR-PRESSO)test,along with Cochran's Q test and the leave-one-out cross-validation method,were used to assess heterogeneity and pleiotropy.Results According to the IVW method analysis,an increased abundance of the genus Faecalibacterium(sp002397985)(OR=0.847,95％CI,0.719 to 0.997,P=0.046)was associated with a reduced risk of OSA.Conversely,increased abundances of the genera Bacteroides(OR=1.075,95％CI,1.016 to 1.138,P=0.012),Haemophilus(sp001679485)(OR=1.106,95％CI,1.016 to 1.203,P=0.021),Streptococcus(OR=1.168,95％CI,1.036 to 1.316,P=0.011),and Blautia(sp002159835)(OR=1.169,95％CI,1.035 to 1.319,P=0.012)were associated with an elevated risk of OSA.The reverse MR analysis revealed no significant association between the risk of OSA and the abundance of gut microbiota.The results of Cochran's Q test,MR-Egger test,and MR-PRESSO test indicated no het-erogeneity or horizontal pleiotropy(P＞0.05).Conclusion Causal relationships exist between the five genera(Faecalibacterium,Bacteroides,Haemophilus,Streptococcus,and Blautia)and the risk of OSA.

Objective:To evaluate the preventive effect of an antimicrobial peptide spray on chemoradiotherapy-induced oral mu-cositis in patients with hematologic malignancies.Methods:From December 2021 to July 2023,a total of 191 newly diagnosed pa-tients with hematologic malignancies undergoing concurrent chemoradiotherapy at our hospital were included in the study.Patients were divided into a treatment group(n=124,received antimicrobial peptide spray)and a control group(n=67,received placebo spray).All patients underwent standardized chemoradiotherapy regimens and oral care.Outcomes compared between groups includ-ed the incidence and severity of oral mucositis,ulcer healing time,pain scores,antibiotic usage,inflammatory markers[C-reactive protein(CRP),procalcitonin(PCT)],duration of neutropenia,adverse events,and quality of life.Results:The incidence of oral mucositis in the treatment group was significantly lower than in the control group(12.90％vs.31.34％,P＜0.05),with a relative risk reduction(RRR)of 58.84％,absolute risk reduction(ARR)of 18.44％,and a number needed to treat(NNT)of 5.423.The treatment group showed shorter ulcer healing time,lower pain scores,reduced antibiotic usage and intensity,lower mean levels of CRP and PCT,and a shorter duration of neutropenia.The incidence of exacerbated local pain and drug-related adverse reactions was also significantly lower in the treatment group,compared to the control group(P＜0.05),with no evident systemic toxicity ob-served.Patients in the treatment group reported higher quality of life and satisfaction scores(both P＜0.05).Conclusion:The an-timicrobial peptide spray effectively reduces the incidence and severity of chemoradiotherapy-associated oral mucositis,mitigates in-flammation and infection risk,and improves quality of life.

Tuberculosis is a zoonotic disease posing a substantial public health threat.Immunological diagnosis and vaccine im-munization are both necessary to control tuberculosis prevalence.However,the identical antigenic components in diagnostic reagents and vaccines hinder the use of animal vaccines and limit the specificity of clinical diagnosis in humans.Differentiating infected from vaccinated animals can overcome these problems.This article reviews the progress in differential diagnosis research from three as-pects:the diagnostic effects of antigens,methods for discovering new antigens,and screening of new host immune markers,to provide a theoretical basis for future research.

Objective:To evaluate the preventive effect of an antimicrobial peptide spray on chemoradiotherapy-induced oral mu-cositis in patients with hematologic malignancies.Methods:From December 2021 to July 2023,a total of 191 newly diagnosed pa-tients with hematologic malignancies undergoing concurrent chemoradiotherapy at our hospital were included in the study.Patients were divided into a treatment group(n=124,received antimicrobial peptide spray)and a control group(n=67,received placebo spray).All patients underwent standardized chemoradiotherapy regimens and oral care.Outcomes compared between groups includ-ed the incidence and severity of oral mucositis,ulcer healing time,pain scores,antibiotic usage,inflammatory markers[C-reactive protein(CRP),procalcitonin(PCT)],duration of neutropenia,adverse events,and quality of life.Results:The incidence of oral mucositis in the treatment group was significantly lower than in the control group(12.90％vs.31.34％,P＜0.05),with a relative risk reduction(RRR)of 58.84％,absolute risk reduction(ARR)of 18.44％,and a number needed to treat(NNT)of 5.423.The treatment group showed shorter ulcer healing time,lower pain scores,reduced antibiotic usage and intensity,lower mean levels of CRP and PCT,and a shorter duration of neutropenia.The incidence of exacerbated local pain and drug-related adverse reactions was also significantly lower in the treatment group,compared to the control group(P＜0.05),with no evident systemic toxicity ob-served.Patients in the treatment group reported higher quality of life and satisfaction scores(both P＜0.05).Conclusion:The an-timicrobial peptide spray effectively reduces the incidence and severity of chemoradiotherapy-associated oral mucositis,mitigates in-flammation and infection risk,and improves quality of life.

Tuberculosis is a zoonotic disease posing a substantial public health threat.Immunological diagnosis and vaccine im-munization are both necessary to control tuberculosis prevalence.However,the identical antigenic components in diagnostic reagents and vaccines hinder the use of animal vaccines and limit the specificity of clinical diagnosis in humans.Differentiating infected from vaccinated animals can overcome these problems.This article reviews the progress in differential diagnosis research from three as-pects:the diagnostic effects of antigens,methods for discovering new antigens,and screening of new host immune markers,to provide a theoretical basis for future research.

China prospective multicenter birth cohort (Prospective Omics Health Atlas birth cohort, POHA birth cohort) study was officially launched in 2022. This study, in collaboration with 12 participating units, aims to establish a high-quality, multidimensional cohort comprising 20 000 naturally conceived families and assisted reproductive families. The study involves long-term follow-up of parents and offspring, with corresponding biological samples collected at key time points. Through multi-omics testing and analysis, the study aims to conduct multi-omics big data research across the entire maternal and infant life cycle. The goal is to identify new biomarkers for maternal and infant diseases and provide scientific evidence for risk prediction related to maternal diseases and neonatal health.